


Batman: Family First

by Nicksname



Series: Earth-Nick [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Cassandra Cain is Mockingbird, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Team as Family, Tim Drake is Cardinal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-10-22 01:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17653694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicksname/pseuds/Nicksname
Summary: Batman has always been afraid of love. He’s considered it his only weakness for the longest time. Through all the death and pain of his crusade, he has always pushed on, hurting those who love him in the process. But he might finally be ready to hang up the cowl and settle down. But how does his family react to that? His kids? His friends? How does Gotham City react, and the villains that lurk underneath? Players from the past and of the future arise as the moment that will truly define Bruce Wayne and his crusade draws near...





	1. Prologue

_Saturday 10th October 2020_

It had been almost twenty years since the Batman made his first appearance, and in that time he had inspired a legion of young heroes to take up his crusade. They’d been through hell and back many times, and they’d lost people they cared about. But if there was one perk to having a whole Batfamily defending Gotham, it’s that the Batman got to take the occasional night off. Alas, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the costumed family, who had to pick up the slack.

“Demon Bird, watch your six!” Cardinal warned Robin as he grappled onto one of the men attacking him and pulled him into his punch.

_“I got it,”_ Robin replied, annoyed, as he did a spin kick, taking out the remaining two attackers.  

Ever since his thirteenth birthday, Damian had been permitted to go out on his own patrol. But tonight, he was not alone. Batgirl, Mockingbird, Red Hood, Huntress, and even Nightwing accompanied Cardinal and Robin. He did not lack allies.

Bruce had called them all back to Gotham for the weekend. Damian lived at the manor, and Tim, Cass, as well as Steph had been crashing there while they got their new post-Gotham U lives in order. But Dick and Babs had come over to Gotham, and Jason and Helena had returned from overseas — where they’d been investigating a major drug supplier linked to White Investments.

The gang was all here, and it meant that the bad guys were totally screwed.

_“Got my eye on the source of the destruction,”_ reported Huntress from the other side of the yard. _“Seems like a meta, given the heat signatures pouring off this guy. Well, that and the lava.”_

“Can we can get an ID on them? Anyone we know?” asked Cardinal as he passed Red Hood, who was emptying a dozen rubber bullets into some surprised henchmen.

_“Not anyone I’ve come across. Batcomputer database picking up anyone, O?”_ Huntress asked.

_“Facial recognition isn’t picking up anything. And all known possible matches with this kind of power set are incarcerated,”_ replied Oracle over the comm, who was helping to coordinate the mission from the Batcave.

“A new player then. Keep your distance, but try to incapacitate the threat as quickly as possible to limit further destruction,” Cardinal told Huntress. “And no unnecessary risks.”

_“Message received,”_ answered Huntress, a touch of annoyance in her voice. Helena Bertinelli was known to be a bit reckless, and the last thing Tim wanted to tell Bruce over the lovely dinner Alfred was preparing was that he got the former Batgirl killed.

Aside from Batman himself, Cardinal led most of the missions due to all his years of experience. That and his continued presence in Gotham. Though he had three players in the field tonight who weren’t used to following his orders, and he had to admit that he was trying extra-hard not to get anyone killed.

“Nightwing and Red Hood, rendezvous with Huntress on the east side of the yard. Keep the meta off-balance. Batgirl and Mockingbird, move in from behind and try to cool him down with the freeze grenades. I’ll make my way towards you. Robin, keep the suppliers from leaving and shut down remaining firearms. Stay out of the meta’s range.”

_“I can handle myself. Allow me to take down the meta, and send Grayson or Todd to cover you,”_ Robin grumbled, seeing through Cardinal's attempt to keep him in the low-danger zone. Despite his upbringing, Bruce still had qualms about letting such a young boy be in the heat of danger. He'd learned his lesson with Jason. 

_“Follow your orders, Dami,”_ mock-warned Nightwing, his playful tone betraying him. It was no surprise to Tim that his older brother was happy to be back in the field. He’d spent the last year undercover as an agent inside Spyral, which hadn’t left much time for heroics.

Robin yielded, giving a signature “Tt” before resigning to follow his orders.

Tim climbed up onto a shipping crate, kicking a pursuing gunman off and relieving him of his weapon. He spotted Huntress fending off against the metahuman a few-dozen yards away, and grappled towards her.

Nightwing and Red Hood were helping to deflect some of the meta’s fiery projectiles, while Batgirl and Mockingbird helped to ground them in ice.

The cool down seemed to be working, and the meta’s fiery exterior was beginning to dissipate, giving Tim the opportunity to drop in and force the man—it was a man, apparent now that the flames were gone—to his knees. 

Nightwing pulled out the meta-dampening cuffs he knew all too well to carry around with him, and quickly slipped them on the man's wrists, which would stop his powers from flaring up again.

As the meta was cuffed, he began to scream. “No! The light is out! Darkness fills the air! I must light up the void! I must-” The meta’s ramblings were cut short by Red Hood’s fist.

“Hey, I thought I had dibs?” Whined Nightwing, who had clearly been eager to knock out his first bad guy in weeks.

“Next time,” said Red Hood, his smirk hidden by his mask but obvious from his tone.

“Let’s call it a day, team,” said Cardinal, cutting off Nightwing’s retort before he could respond. “Alfred’s preparing a nice dinner, and I think we’ve caused enough property damage for one night.”

That much was true. The shipyard lay in ruins, melted crates spilling their contents out onto the gravel, with unconscious bad guys decorating the scene. The seven of them rounded up the men, of which they had managed to capture nearly two-dozen. Most of the buyers had gotten away, but there were still enough sellers to make it an open-and-shut case.

They left the criminals in a circle and the weapons in a pile, before speeding off on their bikes as the police arrived.

All in all, the mission had gone well, and Tim was able to prepare his report for Batman on the ride home.

 

* * *

 

"They did well," said the girl, watching as the heroes sped away.

"They are in their prime," muttered the man, his eyes on the compact device in his hand. 

The girl watched as the police took the metahuman into their custody. "Do you think the anomaly will strike soon?" she wondered aloud. 

The man gazed up from his device, looking the way the heroes had gone. They had disappeared around a corner. "We follow their efforts. Whatever it is will happen soon, and we must be there to back them up."

"And when will we reveal ourselves?" asked the girl, a touch of unmasked eagerness apparent in her voice. 

"When the time is right," the man concluded, putting the device into his belt. 

The girl nodded. It was not the answer she wanted, but she knew better than to argue with her boss. The man pulled out his backup grapple gun, causing the girl to sigh. He glared at her through his mask, and she pulled out hers too. She knew they had to maintain their cover. The two grappled onto a nearby office building, and glided off into the night.

 

* * *

 

The roar of their motorbikes filled the cave as the seven vigilantes entered. Oracle was sitting at the Batcomputer, multiple cases open, and turned to greet them as they dismounted their vehicles.

“Hey, beautiful,” Dick told his girlfriend, pulling off his bike helmet and walking over to kiss Barbara.

Jason and Hel headed for the changing rooms, while Damian followed Tim, grumbling.

“I am perfectly capable of taking on any threat this city presents. I'm a Teen Titan now,” Damian said exasperatedly.

“I've led the Teen Titans, Dami. One of the first things I taught my team was to know their strengths and weaknesses,” Tim protested. "You've done well these past few years, but you still have a hot-headed arrogance that can get you into trouble. Following orders is part of the job."

“I did follow orders, but that doesn't mean I can't complain about them," Damian said, shaking his head. He gave one last "Tt" before heading to the changing rooms.

“Whipping the demon spawn into shape?” asked Steph, pulling back her cowl as she walked up to him.

“Trying,” Tim said, smiling before kissing his girlfriend. “Could’ve been a tighter operation, but we handled it efficiently.”

“And just in time for dinner,” declared Bruce, descending the Batcave steps. Steph and Cass, who had joined them, departed for the showers, eager to taste Alfred’s cooking. Tim stayed behind to give his report.

“We intercepted an illegal weapons sale at the tail-end of our patrol. Two dozen men selling, to protect the cache, and a dozen buying. Intel indicates that the Penguin was supplying the weapons, and that the buyers were representative of local gangs in the Bowery. We waited to see what kind of caliber weapons they were selling.” Bruce nodded, approving. Good. “Turns out that was a smart move,” Tim continued. “They were auctioning off a meta. Sellers indicated fire powers, so we moved in from all sides to avoid a fire fight. Picked off a good chunk of the men stealthily. Some of the buyers got spooked, so we moved in to intercept. One of their cars got away, but Batgirl and Mockingbird shut down the other one. The sellers loosed the meta on us, but we managed to incapacitate them before anyone was seriously hurt. We were able to round up most of the men, and the weapons were left as well. Should be an open-and-shut case,” Tim finished.

“How did Nightwing, Red Hood, and Huntress perform?” Bruce asked. 

“Well, wasn’t as tight nit as I’m used to, but everyone followed orders," Tim decided.

“Hit the showers, dinner will be waiting.” Bruce walked away, seemingly satisfied with Tim’s reported. Odd. Bruce usually asked a half-dozen more questions, but he had seemed preoccupied these past few days. It didn’t take a ‘world’s greatest detective’ to figure that out. Shrugging his shoulders, Tim left to change out of his sweaty kevlar. 

 

* * *

 

Tim was the last to arrive at the dinner table, sitting down next to Steph and Cass. Jason and Hel sat on the other side of the table, with Damian at the head. Bruce and Selina sat with Alfred at the other end, with Barbara, and Dick filling in the middle. Alfred had prepared a modest spread for them all. It was uncommon for them to eat after going out on patrol, but Bruce had insisted they stretch their legs, not wanting them to go out late tonight. This had only added to Tim's curiosity.

The others had been waiting for him, and once he was situated, all eyes turned back to Bruce and Selina. There had to be some reason everyone had been called back to Gotham, something Bruce wanted to tell them all. Nevertheless, they were directed to eat, and the meal continued as normal until they had all finished. Only then did Bruce direct their attention.

“I have an announcement to make,” said Bruce, standing and confirming Tim’s suspicions. “It has been almost twenty years since I put on the cowl for the first time, and nearly just as long since Selina first slipped into the catsuit.” Tim wasn’t sure where this was going. Alfred never allowed ‘cape-talk’ at the table. What was up? “From the moment I laid eyes on her I knew she was special. We’ve had a bond since the first night we met outside Carmine Falcone’s estate. The Bat and the Cat. I met her as Selina Kyle a few months later. I knew I loved her, from early on. She had mastered the grace of being the socialite and the mask. I disregarded it at first, knowing that the vigilante could never love the criminal, that I could never let my two lives clash. But after my adoption of Dick, I realized that it was possible to share both of my lives with someone. I began to explore a relationship with Selina and I ended up revealing my identity to her.”

Tim glanced at Selina, who was lost in Bruce’s words. “I revealed my identity to her, and we tried to make it work. But then I lost Jason, and the pain I felt caused me to push everyone away, everyone I loved. I poured all my pain and anger into my crusade, and I would’ve gotten killed if someone hadn’t intervened. But my loved ones were able to help me come back from the darkness, and focus on what matters."

Bruce smiled at Tim and Dick. “A broken back gives you perspective, and time to reflect. After the Cataclysm, I adopted Tim and Cass. Focused on the connections that made me and my city better. I began to mend my relationship with Selina. Of course, there were bumps in the road: Hush, Jason’s return, unknown children.” All eyes turned to Damian, who smirked, looking pleased with himself. “But I finally got the courage to ask Selina to reform, and she did. She wanted to get better, she wanted to improve. And that filled me with hope. After two years of being apart, Selina and I finally got to spend the last few months together. From the moment that time began, I knew I never wanted it to end.” Bruce took Selina’s hand, and she stood. Something on her hand was reflecting light. A ring. 

“We want to focus on being the family that you all deserve, and not the heroes Gotham needs. I have asked Selina to marry me, and she has said yes.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this! More to come. This is obviously just an intro to the ongoing story. Each chapter will have a different POV, and will allow me to delve into each of the characters a bit more. And don't worry, there are plenty of characters to come.
> 
> I’d love it if you could leave a quick review with some feedback, positive or negative. Or if you’ve got any questions about the universe of this story, I can answer it! Knowing people are reading is always a great motivator for me to keep writing more!
> 
> For anyone interested, here are the ages for the characters in this chapter:
> 
> Alfred Pennyworth/Penny-One: 72  
> Bruce Wayne/Batman: 45  
> Selina Kyle/Catwoman: 42  
> Barbara Gordon/Oracle: 32  
> Dick Grayson/Nightwing: 30  
> Helena Bertinelli/Huntress: 28  
> Jason Todd/Red Hood: 26  
> Cassandra Cain/Mockingbird: 22  
> Tim Drake/Cardinal: 22  
> Stephanie Brown/Batgirl: 22  
> Damian Wayne/Robin: 13


	2. Parental Guidance

_Monday 12th October 2020_

It was Columbus Day, and the kiddies had the day off of school. This meant that Damian was able to join the group in their O-Hell game.

"Not it," declared Dick, putting his finger to his nose. Jason, Tim, Cass, and Steph were quick to follow his example.

Damian was not so quick.

“You’re it, Dami. You get to keep score,” Dick announced, sliding the sheet over to Damian.

“I spent the better part of the summer managing finance records for twenty years worth of missing Wayne Enterprises R&D budget. Your scores shall give me no trouble,” he grumbled.

“Uh-huh. You weren’t exactly jumping at the chance when Dick asked if anyone wanted to keep score,” replied Tim, smirking.

“Tt.”

Bruce and Alfred were upstairs making arrangements for the wedding. After the exciting announcement, Bruce had been quick to use their help for planning the logistics. After their Sunday had been spent scheduling the wedding, Dick and his siblings had taken to hiding in the cave to avoid further effort. Barbara and Hel had headed for the Clocktower to help their Birds out with an investigation, and Selina was out looking for her old friend Holly Robinson.

O-Hell was one of the many card games the Batfamily had picked up over the years to pass the time between training, school, work, and waiting for it to be dark enough to patrol. They had become rather proficient at it.

Dick had a nine of hearts, fairly high for the suit. But diamonds were trump, and with five other players on the board, his chances of taking it were fairly low. He’d play it save.

“0,” he decided, placing the card facedown on the table.

“0,” Cass agreed, hiding her own card.

A zero rang out from Steph as well. They all looked at Tim expectantly, who had his eyes closed and look of concentration on his face.

“Jesus Christ, Tim. Stop trying to count cards, there’s barely any of the deck in play,” grumbled Jason, forcing Tim’s card facedown on the table.

Tim sighed, annoyed, and finally decided on 1.

Jason put his card down on the table, and leaned back in his chair. “1.”

Tim glared at him.

Damian revealed a weak four of spades, and Dick followed up with his nine of hearts, relieved his bid was fulfilled. Cass and Steph found their bids fulfilled as well. Tim placed a confident seven of diamonds on top of their haphazard pile, trumping them all.

Jason stood up out of his chair, dropping an eight of diamonds on top of Tim’s seven, trumping him. “Ha! Eat shit, replacement.”

“Oi,” Dick grumbled, gesturing to Damian. Jason sat down sheepishly.

“I hear this sort of language from the people around this table all time!” shouted Damian. A bit of an overreaction. Dami had been acting strange the past couple of days. What was going on with him?

“See,” said Jason, defensively.

“I’m not talking about Damian,” Dick cracked, “I’m just warning you to be careful with Alfred right upstairs. He’ll get you with that swear jar of his.”

Jason scoffed, but shut up from that point on.

As the game continued, conversation shifted towards the announcement.

“So you think Selina is asking Robinson to be her Maid of Honor?” Steph wondered aloud, playing a six of clubs.

“Oh definitely,” said Cass, playing a six of spades to trump her best friend. “They’ve know each other for so long, who else would Selina want?”

“I just can’t believe it,” said Tim, smiling. “I mean being in an on-and-off relationship for so long… I just can’t imagine it.” He squeezed Steph’s hand.

“The wedding’s like a month away right?” asked Dick, shuffling the deck to start a new round.

“November 26th,” said Jason, kicking it off with an ace of clubs.

“Thanksgiving-” Cass pointed out. “Four,” she said to Damian, before he could ask. “They want it to be just family and friends, nothing for the paparazzi to squeal about.”

“Has it gotten leaked to the press yet?” asked Steph, holding up two fingers to Damian.

“Not yet. Unless someone spills the beans, which hopefully won’t happen, they’re gonna announce it this Friday at Gordon’s fundraiser,” said Tim, following Steph’s lead with a two.

Jason looked at his cards. “One,” he said to Damian. “I still can’t believe they’re actually getting married. Crazy stuff. Didn’t expect that when we were all called back to Gotham.” Jason chuckled. “How long you wanna bet it is before we’ve got another Wayne kid running around?”

“How long you wanna bet it is before Bruce has got them jumping off rooftops,” Tim cracked.

Jason looked at the scoresheet, frowning. “I said one, Dami, not two.”

Damian stood up suddenly, ripping the scoresheet in half. “I am tired of this game!” he shouted, before stomping off.

Jason frowned. “Guess he is finally becoming a teenager.”

Steph smacked him with her cards. “Oh come on, Jason. Isn’t it obvious what’s wrong with him?”

Jason looked at a loss.

Dick sighed, and stood. “I’ll go talk to him.”

 

* * *

 

Dick found Damian upstairs in the lounge, well, one of them, poured over a television screen, which was discussing polls for the upcoming election. 

Sebastian Hady had been mayor since the Cataclysm ended, and at the time he’d seemed like the perfect guy to help rebuild the city. Of course he’d ended up being a pretty shady scumbag, but he’d been mayor for eight years, and was running for a third term. Luckily, he was losing.

Marian Grange was next. She’d served as Gotham’s DA for two terms, just as long as Hady, and was something of an ally. Like many public officials in the city, she didn’t love the _idea_ of vigilantes running rampant, but accepted it as the reality,

Leading the polls, the candidate the Wayne family had endorsed from day one, was none other than James Gordon. He’d announced his intention to run late last year, much to the Batfamily’s collective shock. Dick remembered Jim telling him pointedly how much he hated politics when Dick had been applying for law school. The fact that he was running for mayor now was something Dick found extremely ironic. He’d be a great mayor though. Dick hoped he won.

But the election was something Damian was well aware of, and had been following closely. So Dick knew he wasn’t _really_ watching what was on the screen.

Dick picked up the remote and shut it off. Damian glared at him as he sat down.

“You wanna talk about what’s been going on with you?”

“I’m fine, Grayson,” Damian said flatly.

Dick slid onto the couch next to him, and pulled his brother into a hug. Damian tried to escape, but failed.

 **No one** escaped Dick’s hugs.

Dick let him go. “I know what you’re feeling right now.”

“Tt.”

“You had to make a really hard choice between your mother and your father, and now the man who couldn’t reconcile his relationship with your mother is choosing another woman over her.”

Damian sighed. “I _like_ Selina. But it just feels like… like father never really gave mother a chance.”

Dick smiled sadly. “Oh he did, Dami. Bruce met Talia before he met Selina, you know. When he was a very young man, he joined the League of Shadows. He thought that was where he belonged, and the reason he stayed so long was because of your mother.”

“But she couldn’t make him stay for good.”

“No,” said Dick. “But he does still love her. They’re just too different, Dami. He was able to convince Selina to change her ways, but never Talia.”

“I just…” Damian trailed off, choosing his words carefully. “He _chose_ you to be his son, and Jason, and Tim. And Cass to be his daughter. Now he’s _choosing_ to make Selina his wife. I’m the only part of his family he didn’t choose. Sometimes it just feels like I don’t matter to him.”

“Oh, Dami.” Dick hugged his brother again. “You know how much I love Babs? I've loved her for almost as long as Bruce has loved Selina. But I had other relationships too. Including one with Kory, Starfire. I haven't dated her in years, but only a few months ago she showed up with  _our_ daughter, something I could've never planned for. And guess what? I love Mar'i just as much as I love Babs."

"But-"

"Bruce loves you just as much as anyone else in the family. You’re special. His only biological child. Something he couldn’t plan for. A happy accident.” Damian chuckled at that. “Now don’t get me wrong, you’re still a pain in my ass sometimes, in all our asses, but we love you. You’ll _always_ be a priority.”

Dick let his brother go, who was deep in thought.

“I will think on what you said,” he muttered, standing up. “But now, I must be off.”

Damian got up, and left the room, his faithful dog Titus, who had been sleeping at his feet, following behind.

Dick smiled. He’d just seen more emotion out of his brother then he’d ever seen from him in the last three years he’d been living at the manor.

Perhaps there was hope for him yet.


	3. Proposition

_Thursday 15th October 2020_

“Hey, Hel,” Barbara answered, readjusting herself in her chair.

 _“Hey yourself. You got that meeting coming up?”_ asked Helena.

“In a little bit, but I can talk now. What’s up?”

_“You know that meta we arrested on Sunday?”_

“Todd Foster, 31. What do you want to know?”

_“Just want your opinion on something. This guy vanishes off the map eight years ago, after living in Gotham his whole life, and pops up now with meta powers. Does that not strike you as… weird?”_

“Thousands went missing during the Cataclysm, hundreds were never found. It’s not that far a reach to assume one might’ve gotten a metagene activated from all that trauma, and is only coming back home now. I mean the guy seemed mentally unstable enough to me. Might’ve just started remembering things.”

_“It’s not the perp himself that’s weird, it’s the circumstances. Remember the Snyder case?”_

Barbara thought back, recalling the details of the case as easily she might have a phone number, thanks to her photographic eidetic memory. “Greg Snyder, 29. Went missing during the Cataclysm in 2012, showed up three years ago sporting electrokinetic abilities, working as an enforcer in connection to the False Face Society.”

_“Snyder was bananas too. It’s not just that the guy went missing during the Cataclysm. It’s that the guy went missing from the same block in Otisburg, along with Todd Foster, and seventeen others. Now both these guys turn up as metas, out of their minds. Not to mention, Andrew Capullo, who went missing from the same block, was connected to a drug racket in Star City. Felicity tells me he had psychokinetic abilities, and was out of his mind.”_

“You’re thinking someone turned all those people into mindless metas by someone?”

_“By the Shadows. Background checks on all of them show connections to corporations owned by the Shadows. I think they took the seventeen people that they knew no one would miss. The type of people the Shadows look for.”_

“You think this is them making a move?” The League of Shadows had been in various states of disrepair for years. They’d kept out of Gotham. If they were coming back… it wouldn’t be good.

_“Foster is getting moved to Arkham tomorrow. I think we hope the doctors get something out of him, and start searching for the other fourteen.”_

“Keep me posted, and say hi to Dinah for me.”

_“See you around.”_

Barbara hung up the line, and put the phone back in her pocket. She glanced up at the clock: 9:45.

“They usually don’t expect me to be punctual, and don’t start the meetings till about a half hour after it’s scheduled,” remarked Bruce, who had been engrossed in his own device.

“Lovely,” muttered Barbara, leaning back in her chair and gazing out at the bleake Gotham skyline.

Every month, the board of directors met to discuss the goings-on of Wayne Enterprises and its financial security. Over the past few years, business had been deteriorating. It had for everyone in Gotham since the cataclysm, but Wayne Enterprises had faced particular troubles with all the attacks on their various businesses over the year. It seemed that the price of innovation was supervillains trying to steal your stuff. Constantly.

Many people, investors and shareholders chief among them, saw Wayne Enterprises as a corporation of the past, ready to be retired and its assets put to better use. A particular businessman by the name of Derek Powers had been pushing for control of the company, so he could absorb it into his up-and-coming mega cooperation Powers Global.

Barbara had been in charge of the Wayne Foundation for two years now, and was entitled to a seat on the board of directors.

They were meeting today to have a talk with Derek Powers. He would try to convince the board that his plan for the company was the best. It was Bruce’s job to convince them otherwise.

Powers was just the latest jackass to throw his hat in the ring. Bruce had been fending off suits like him for years. He’d be no trouble.

“Coffee’s here,” announced Luke, entering the waiting room.

“You’re doing God’s work, Luke,” she muttered, taking the cup from him.

“Yeah. You’re gonna wanna drink up fast. Powers is on his way up with the rest of the board.

With a nod, she rolled on into the conference room to await the board members, with Bruce and Luke trailing behind her.

 

* * *

 

Many department heads had seats on the board, including Luke Fox, son of company president Lucius Fox, who was the current head of Research and Development. Tim worked directly under him, and had come farther in the last few months than anyone else in the department had in the last ten years thanks to his intelligence. It was good to have Luke heading R&D, considering all the Batman related ties the department had.

Powers entered with about twenty or so board members a few minutes later. He offered Bruce the seat at the head of the table, and sat at the opposite end. Luke sat on Bruce’s left, and Babs pulled up on his left.

“Thank your for meeting me this morning,” Powers began. “As you all know, I am here to discuss the potential acquisition of Wayne Enterprises by Powers Global.”

“We know why you’re here, Mr. Powers. If you could please get to the offer,” muttered one of the board members exasperatedly. Someone clearly hadn’t had their coffee yet. 

“As you wish,” said Powers, a hint of irritation in his voice. He drew several documents and passed them around the table.

Barbara got her own copies. Spreadsheets, figures, data. Plans. This was why he thought Wayne Enterprises was better off with him.

“We are living in strange times,” started Powers. “Twenty years ago we could never have imagined a ‘super-man’ or a ‘metagene’, but as the years have ticked on our world has gotten stranger. The future contains many marvels, and I hope to meet them head on. With the acquisition of Wayne Enterprises, I believe that Powers Global can be the cooperation to lead our country- no, our world, to greater and better things.

“Let’s take a look back. What would become Wayne Enterprises was founded in the seventeenth century by merchant ancestors of the Wayne family. Judge Solomon Wayne and his brother Joshua. The revenue they generated built this city. They hired Cyrus Pinkney and raised this city from the ground up. By the end of the nineteenth century, Alan Wayne had transformed the fledgling operation into a corporate company.

“Wayne Shipping, Wayne Manufacturing, Wayne Chemical. The industrial revolution transformed this company into a superpower. Over the last four hundred years, the Wayne family, Gotham’s first family, have used this company to transform Gotham. To save it. But four centuries? That’s a long time. Wayne Enterprises has grown to become a global powerhouse. But what more can it do? How much further can it go?

“Not much, by my estimate. Stock prices have been dwindling over the last five years, and more and more every quarter. The market takes a look at a company like Wayne Enterprises, and what do they see? A global superpower that is well beyond its golden age. No one has more respect for what the Waynes built than me, but if I take a long hard look I can see it too. Wayne Enterprises and all its subsidiaries are a thing of the past, unable to stand in this new, frightening time. Metahuman attacks and corporate espionage can almost be associated with the Wayne Enterprises reputation. The work being done here is truly remarkable, but I do not honestly believe that it is capable of standing in this time. 

“But I believe that I have shown an ability over the years, particularly with Queen Industries and Kord Omniversal, that I can take golden companies of the past and put them towards a bright future. When Queen Industries was absorbed in 2013, and Kord Omniversal in 2016, the assets and subsidiaries absorbed by Powers Global saw increasing profits in each new quarter; something that has continued to this day. Of the 250,000 employees between the companies, only fifteen thousand were laid off, and they were well compensated. I believe that Powers Global has proven its aptitude with these types of acquisitions, and though Wayne Enterprises is twice as large as the two companies combined, I believe that Powers Global has proven that it’s up to the task. I believe that _I_ have proven that I am up to the task.”

With his opening arguments concluded, Powers began to rattle off numbers and subsidiary names that Barbara had little interest in. She sat back and took a minute to reflect on what he had said.

Derek Powers put on a good show, but Barbara was far from convinced. She had done her homework, she always did. Derek Powers was suspected of selling chemical weapons and metahumans to several eastern countries. He had his fingers in Khandaq, Markovia, North Rhelasia, Qurac, and several other countries that seemed adept at causing metahuman warfare. He was a known associate of former LexCorp CEO and current President of the United States: Lex Luthor. As if that wasn’t enough to immediately put him on the suspicious-shady-corperate-bad-guy list.

And there was a list, she’d made it.

Bruce would do everything in his power to block this acquisition, but his hold over the board had been dwindling over the years, and the intrigued looks on the board members’ faces didn’t help to ease her concern.

This isn’t what they needed right now. Bruce and Selina were getting married, Barbara’s dad was about to become the mayor of Gotham City, and crime rates were down. If Derek Powers got a hold of Wayne Enterprises, it would jeopardize the Bat-Clan’s crusade. That was the last thing they needed.

Powers droned on for another hour before the meeting was adjourned. The board decided that they would meet to discuss a verdict in two weeks time. Not good. Two weeks was nothing, and it gave Bruce and Lucius far less time for damage control.

Barbara, Bruce, Luke, and Lucius met up outside the conference room after the meeting, but before they could discuss anything, Derek Powers walked up to Bruce.

“It’s good to see you, Bruce,” he said, shaking Bruce’s hand. “Listen, whatever happens with this whole corporate business, I want you to know that I only have the best interests in mind for the Wayne family’s legacy.”

Bruce stiffened. “I appreciate that.”

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer,” Powers decided, shaking hands with Lucius, Luke, and Barbara. “I’ll see you all tomorrow night at Gordon’s campaign event tomorrow night?”

“I doubt Ms. Gordon would let me get out of it,” said Bruce, winking at Barbara. 

“Until then,” said Powers, nodding curtly at Bruce.

Luke let out a deep sigh, and turned to Bruce. “What’s our next move?”

Bruce looked out at the Gotham skyline once more. “Tomorrow night, we celebrate. On Saturday, we can begin.”


	4. Date Night

_Thursday 15th October 2020_

Steph had to admit that the best thing about being an outreach liaison for the Wayne Foundation was her flexible schedule. She’d pulled something sparring with Cass last night, and she doubted that she’d be able to handle meeting with the Crowne orphanage _and_ the Hanson family. Mrs. Hanson was a pain in the ass to deal with, but she was always willing to postpone their annual appointments. So Steph had just had to stomach the orphanage, and she was home free.

She’d texted Tim about doing date night, but he hadn’t responded. She half-hoped that she’d be greeted by a dinner reservation and the loving embrace of her boyfriend, but the darkness of their home squashed her hopes. Sighing, she changed into comfortable clothes and left for where she knew Tim would be. His home away from home.

The Batcave that was oh-so conveniently located under Stately Wayne Manor was only the first in a series of extravagant costumed vigilante hangouts in Gotham. Throughout the first decade of his crusade, Bruce had set up various “satellite-Batcaves” around Gotham, which proved to be the only shelter for Dick, Tim, Cass, and all the others stranded in the city during the Cataclysm while Bruce remained off the island in the original cave.

After the whole fiasco, Bruce sought to set up more permanent strongholds in Gotham. The appropriately named Batcave-2 lay under the Wayne Foundation building, which had served as Dick’s primary base during his own reign as Batman. Since Barbara became the head of the foundation, Steph and Cass had frequented the cave often, with their work being based out of that very building.

Batcave-3 was located under the Wayne Botanical Gardens in Robinson Park. It had been compromised for a long time, due to Poison Ivy discovering it, but ever since Pamela had joined the side of the angels, it had been her (and Harley’s) primary workshop and base of operations. Selina was known to frequent the unofficial home of the Gotham City Sirens.

Batcave-4 was located in Gotham Heights. Bruce had been known to conduct missions with other heroes out of there. He always did like to keep his private life and his private, private life separate. The cave was also notable for housing criminals that couldn’t be held in Arkham. The only resident of Batcave-4’s cells, currently, was Thomas Elliot aka Hush. With his knowledge of Batman’s identity, it was better to keep him isolated.

Batcave-5 was the newest addition to the super-secret family of lairs, and Tim’s personal pet project. He’d been working on it all summer. It was based out of the heart of the city, out of the old Wayne Tower, and hardwired into the city’s mainframe. All communications and signals ran through Batcave-5’s computer: the OMAC, Tim’s baby.

Steph was pretty sure it stood for “Observational Metahuman Activity Construct”, and while Brother Eye, as everyone had taken to calling it, was designed to track metahuman activity, it showed an aptitude for using Wayne Enterprises satellites to monitor _all_ criminal activity in Gotham.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Tim had yet to actually get the machine up-and-running, but he had been spending many late nights in the Belfry, the nickname for Batcave-5, trying to fix it up.

That was where Steph found him, as she knew she would. Tim was pouring over a mass of coils and circuitry, several computer interfaces open to his right, opposite the large monitor in the center of the room that would serve as the main console of Brother Eye.

“How was work?” Steph asked casually as she collapsed into a chair.

“Good,” replied Tim. Even as invested in his work as Tim was at that moment, it was hard to sneak up on a bat.

“What did Luke have you working on today?” she continued, gazing around the Belfry.

The lair was state of the art, but being situated inside the old Wayne Tower still gave it Old Gotham architecture. Tall columns and a large bell hanging from the roof clashes with walls of machinery and equipment displays. The cave came with all the usual elements: medical bay, laboratory, containment cells, and more. Lots more.

“We’ve been working on that telecommunications project I told you about, but I’m still trying to get back to those nanites we were hard at work on last month. I think they could be applied to the OMAC. I’ve been talking about it with Luke…” Tim trailed off as he went back to work.

“Y’know us vigilantes are supposed to separate work and home life, right?” she replied curiously, noticing how he was already dressed in his Cardinal costume.

“Luke is fine with it as long as I keep up with the telecommunications project,” he muttered. “I’ve actually been thinking about heading up to the Wayne Aerospace division and having a talk with Chuck about the logistics of the nanites-“

“Tim-” she said, stopping his rambling. “We were supposed to go out tonight.”

Tim looked at her sheepishly and put down what he was working on. “I know… it’s just… I’m about to make breakthrough here.”

“A _breakthrough_ breakthrough?” Steph asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. Tim tended to have “breakthroughs” quite often.

“Yes, yeah, yeah. _For real_ ,” Tim assured her, standing up and walking over to her. “Give me like thirty seconds and I can have the OMAC ready for testing. I was hoping we could turn the dinner date into a crime fighting date? Go out on the town? Punch some guys.

Steph smiled in spite of herself. “And for once I thought we could have a normal date like normal people.”

Tim scoffed. “We’ve got Gordon’s gala tomorrow, plenty of time for the high society life.”

He kissed her on the cheek hurriedly and went back to his work. Steph went to get changed.

 

* * *

 

When she returned, Brother Eye was powering up, and Tim was standing by the window with a look of triumph on his face. One of the Belfry’s stand-out features was the large window covering the north wall. The glass had been refitted when they _out_ fitted the old tower. The glass was bulletproofed, and anything going on inside couldn’t be seen from the exterior. It was secure. You could hardly even call it a cave.

“Ready to go,” Steph announced, standing triumphantly in her Batgirl costume.

“Then let’s get this date started,” said Tim excitedly as he pressed a button on his glove, connecting it to brother eye. Steph saw a notification pop up on her glove as well. “See it?”

“Yup,” Steph replied, appropriately wowed at Tim’s intellect, as she so often was. “Seems like the False Face Society has a couple of goons trying to rob Gotham First National. Classic.”

It would be good to mop the floor with some False Facers. The False Face Society was the largest criminal element in Gotham, and had only been growing in recent years. Their leader was Black Mask, Roman Sionis, who Stephanie had a complicated relationship with. He’d nearly beaten her to death four years ago. Despite Roman’s ass being in Arkham, his gang only continued to spread. Any opportunities to hurt his operations were ones she would gladly take.

“We’re gonna head southwest to the financial district. We’re close, traversal time should be around eight minutes,” Tim said, Stephanie seeing the coordinates on her glove’s interface.

“Let’s get started then, I’m sure we’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

Tim smiled. “Brother Eye, open the gates.”

The large window slid back and the cool Gotham air rushed past. Stephanie got a head start on Tim, but he caught up by the time she reached the window Capes flapping behind them, Batgirl and Cardinal left into the air.

 

* * *

 

“Three minutes out,” Steph muttered as she leapt from the ledge, landing in a roll on the roof of the building below.

“I forgot to ask: how was work?” Tim finally asked.

“Good. Had a meeting, but pushed off my date with the Hanson family two weeks from now.”

“Done for the week? Who’s next on your list?” Tim asked, grappling onto a nearby gargoyle and swinging over to the next block.

Steph bit her lip. “The Black family,” she finally admitted. Tim stayed silent for a couple of seconds.

“You up for that? I know it’s hard on you,” said Tim. He was right, of course. Visiting the adopted parents of her biological daughter, and the girl she’d birthed who would never know her as a mother, was a daunting task. Yet it was an annual one.

“I’ll be fine,” she lied. Part of Steph wished she hadn’t kept tabs on her. But she’d wanted to make sure they raised her well. They’d named her Julia. Julia Dixon Black. Steph had always liked the name Julia, even considered it as a name when she had had it in her mind to keep the baby. It was just another way she felt cheated. And yet, she only had herself to blame.

“Here we go,” announced Tim, planting himself on the landing across from the bank. Steph landed next to him. “Looks like five guys inside, with eleven hostages, two more guys on lookout, and one on getaway.”

“Let’s move in.” Tim nodded at her suggestion, and they took off towards the bank. He may be the field leader for the team, but out on their own, it was usually him following _her_ orders.

Their methods were well-practiced, and Tim knew to move ahead to take out the getaway while she handled the two on lookout. Landing silently on the bank roof, she dropped a smoke pellet onto the ground below her, letting it roll between the two thugs. The gas began to leak out, and there was a small commotion from the two. Stephanie slipped her gas mask on, and flipped through the night air. Her hands landed on the shoulders of the first thug, and she brought him down on top of the other as she landed on the ground. The gas stifled the cries of the lookouts, and they quickly fell unconscious.

Steph hurled two explosives at the windows on the left of the bank, slipping into the building on the other side. The explosion and shattering of glass drew the attention of all the False Facers, giving her time to study all their positions.

“ _Batgirl, are we a go?_ ” asked Tim. She could see him on the rafters.

Stephanie threw two baterangs at the goons who had gone to inspect the windows. They yelped as they dropped, and the man on the hostages didn’t even fully turn around before Steph barreled into him, knocking him unconscious with her escrima sticks (Dick had been teaching her).

“ _Guess that’s a yes…_ ”

Of the two False Facers that had been in the bank vault, one came charging out, yelling and firing wildly. Steph dived to cover the hostages, but Tim landed on the thug before his arc could even reach them.

Steph first-bumped Tim, and the two turned their eyes on the last guy in the vault. He was shouting loudly into his communicator, standing as far back as the vault wall would allow.

“Would you like to do the honors?” Steph asked her boyfriend politely.

“Please, it’s my fault our date got off to a late start. The honor is all yours.”

Just as she was about to oblige him, the False Facer hit the floor.

“Down!” Tim shouted, pulling her to the ground as a massive blast of energy shattered the vault wall.

Several more False Facers joined their friend, piling the vault money into the back of truck and aiming their energy weapons at the caped heroes.

“Why do the bad guys always get the cool toys?” Steph wondered, annoyed. She rolled out of the way of another blast, Tim doing the same. She took a look at the hostages, who were scrambling to their feet. “This might be a good time to get out.”

By the time the last hostage was out the door, Steph and Tim were staring down eight False Face Society members, and two energy weapons.

“You go low?”

“I go high,” she finished.

Tim ejected his bo staff to full length and swung it in a high arc, knocking several False Facers to their feet. Steph leapt through their air, dispensing baterangs and aiming for one of the energy weapon carrying men. She caught him around the neck and brought him to his knees. She managed to twist the energy weapon out of his hands, but would’ve been fried by the other one if Tim hadn’t knocked him off his feet.

“Batgirl!” Tim warned. She leapt out of the way of falling rafters and other debris. They struck one of the remaining thugs. The last two False Facers led a final charge against them, but Tim took one down while she finished off the other.

They stood over their victims, catching their breath triumphantly. Tim put his staff back in his belt. They fist-bumped again. Steph picked up one of the energy weapons and handed it to Tim. He'd certainly want to inspect it.

"I'm sure Cobblepot sold Sionis these. Probably some deal with Intergang," Tim theorized. Steph nodded. Cobblepot was known for his deals with the Metropolis underworld, and his domination over all arms dealing in Gotham. But she was a little too wowed by their collective bad-assery to be concerned with the Penguin.

“Gotta admit,” Steph said, “that date wasn’t half bad.”

“It’s not over yet. I caught sight of a shawarma place on my way over here. We could try that.”

Before she could reply, an alert appeared on her glove. The same notification sound popped up from Tim’s gauntlet. “Looks like Brother Eye has another case for us.”

“A high-speed chase a few blocks from here,” she observed. Steph looked up at Tim. He was smiling. “Looks like the night is young.”

The two of them pulled out their grapple guns in a well-practiced motion, and soared out the broken windows and into the night sky.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a little bit since I updated, hope the extra length makes up for it. Next chapter things are gonna start to get a little crazy, and then we're really gonna get into the meat of the story. First few chapters were a lot of setup. This is gonna be a loooong story, and there's a lot of groundwork I need to get done. 
> 
> Thanks for bearing with me. And if you readers have enjoyed the story thus far, I'd really appreciate a comment. Such reviews and feedback give me a lot of motivation to keep writing, and it would mean a lot. 
> 
> Until next time!


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